How not to spill gas on your fender.
09-02-10, 01:54 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
How not to spill gas on your fender.
The average American driver, with the average vehicle for personal use, fills up with gasoline or diesel fuel about once a week, so it is something that we do pretty regularly for most of our lives...no matter what kind of vehicle or motorcycle we have. Something I often see while refueling (and, years ago, I sometimes did this myself) is people accidentally letting gas dribble out the nozzle-pipes down their fenders instead of getting it all in the tank. This happens because filler-pipes point down, and the gas-nozzle-pipes also point down in a somewhat-curved-arc.
In the old days before clearcoat paint-jobs, this could (and often did) cause staining and sometimes damage to the paint and trim, unless you quickly washed the gas off with soap and water. Modern clearcoat paint is somewhat more resistant to gas-stains than in the past (and, of course, the SCRATCH-OUT liquid I recommend, in some cases, also helps get them out). But the best answer, of course, is to simply prevent spilling the gas in the first place.
The best way to do that, in my experience, is when you take the nozzle off the pump, twist it in such a way that the nozzle-opening points to the side or slightly up instead of down. If you hold it like most people do, with the curved-arc pointing down, it could allow any liquid gas in the nozzle to drip down on the paint before you actually get it in the filler-hole. But, if you keep the opening pointed up, FIRST touch it to the filler-hole, and THEN twist it down inside the pipe, it won't allow any gas still in the pipe to run out on the paint.....it will go down the filler-hole where it belongs (and what you are paying for). When the tank is full, and the automatic-cutoff kicks in, DON'T add any more fuel to try and top-off......you could just risk another possible spill (or damage to the evaporative-vapor canister, an EPA-emission device).
Taking the nozzle out, of course, do it in reverse...pull it partway out (far enough to have room to twist the opening up again), and hang it back up on the pump. If you do this correctly (and it's very simple after a few tries), I guarantee that you won't ever spin anything again on your nice paint while refueling.
And, while we're on the subject of refueling, here's another tip: If the tanker truck is loading up the underground storage tanks, either find another station of wait at least 5 minutes after the tanker is done. That's because, especially with older underground tanks, the enormous pressure of the fuel being pumped out of the tanker stirs up a lot of dirt, water, and impurities on the bottom of the tanks. Though the gas-pumps themselves are supposed to have built-in filters to keep the solid-particles from actually getting into your car, don't bet on it. If you are refilling when the tanker-truck is pumping, you could easily get some of that (and, of course, water-bubbles) into your gas tank, fuel-lines, and injectors, where it could cause engine-drivability. After the truck is finished, the dirt/water will usually settle back down to the bottom of the tank (they are heavier than gasoline) in a few minutes....than it's OK to gas up.
The subject of what brand of gas to use has been discussed/debated many times here on CL.....I won't re-hash it again here, except to say that, from what I've seen, Chevron and Shell seem to have the highest-quality and the best detergent-additives. I usually use one of those two brands myself....and, in general, it's better to use major-name-brands than cut-rate stations. Unfortunately, in my area, several local Chevron stations seem to have converted to the Liberty brand lately....why, I don't know.
In the old days before clearcoat paint-jobs, this could (and often did) cause staining and sometimes damage to the paint and trim, unless you quickly washed the gas off with soap and water. Modern clearcoat paint is somewhat more resistant to gas-stains than in the past (and, of course, the SCRATCH-OUT liquid I recommend, in some cases, also helps get them out). But the best answer, of course, is to simply prevent spilling the gas in the first place.
The best way to do that, in my experience, is when you take the nozzle off the pump, twist it in such a way that the nozzle-opening points to the side or slightly up instead of down. If you hold it like most people do, with the curved-arc pointing down, it could allow any liquid gas in the nozzle to drip down on the paint before you actually get it in the filler-hole. But, if you keep the opening pointed up, FIRST touch it to the filler-hole, and THEN twist it down inside the pipe, it won't allow any gas still in the pipe to run out on the paint.....it will go down the filler-hole where it belongs (and what you are paying for). When the tank is full, and the automatic-cutoff kicks in, DON'T add any more fuel to try and top-off......you could just risk another possible spill (or damage to the evaporative-vapor canister, an EPA-emission device).
Taking the nozzle out, of course, do it in reverse...pull it partway out (far enough to have room to twist the opening up again), and hang it back up on the pump. If you do this correctly (and it's very simple after a few tries), I guarantee that you won't ever spin anything again on your nice paint while refueling.
And, while we're on the subject of refueling, here's another tip: If the tanker truck is loading up the underground storage tanks, either find another station of wait at least 5 minutes after the tanker is done. That's because, especially with older underground tanks, the enormous pressure of the fuel being pumped out of the tanker stirs up a lot of dirt, water, and impurities on the bottom of the tanks. Though the gas-pumps themselves are supposed to have built-in filters to keep the solid-particles from actually getting into your car, don't bet on it. If you are refilling when the tanker-truck is pumping, you could easily get some of that (and, of course, water-bubbles) into your gas tank, fuel-lines, and injectors, where it could cause engine-drivability. After the truck is finished, the dirt/water will usually settle back down to the bottom of the tank (they are heavier than gasoline) in a few minutes....than it's OK to gas up.
The subject of what brand of gas to use has been discussed/debated many times here on CL.....I won't re-hash it again here, except to say that, from what I've seen, Chevron and Shell seem to have the highest-quality and the best detergent-additives. I usually use one of those two brands myself....and, in general, it's better to use major-name-brands than cut-rate stations. Unfortunately, in my area, several local Chevron stations seem to have converted to the Liberty brand lately....why, I don't know.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-02-10 at 02:01 PM.
09-02-10, 02:06 PM
#3
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09-02-10, 02:30 PM
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I usually point the nozzle upwards when about to fill and then tap the nozzle against the tank entrance hole to make sure every last drop comes out when I'm done. 
I agree that Shell and Chevron are the best to use, but I've also noticed that Shell is better for highway driving and Chevron for city driving.
I agree that Shell and Chevron are the best to use, but I've also noticed that Shell is better for highway driving and Chevron for city driving.
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09-02-10, 04:16 PM
#13
Lexus Champion
I need to fill up tomorrow. I'm gonna give this a try. Usually when I fill up, I give the nozzle a couple of taps to shake out the residual fuel, but I still get drips down the side of the car. 
